Missing You
by MsHayes
Summary: Rick realizes his feelings for Lisa...is he a little too late?. This is companion to Can't make you love me. Don't forget to review! Thanks!


_**Disclaimer**: ROBOTECH® and its characters are a registered trademark of Harmony Gold U.S.A., Inc. This fic was written for entertainment purposes and no infringement is intended. _

This is the third of my "songfic" fics and it's OOC. The first one would be "Kyle's Reasons", the second one "Can't make you love me", and here goes…

"_**Missing you."**_

"I knew I'd find you here, skipper."

Rick's vision was hazy but it wasn't difficult to recognize his friend's voice.

"Hey Max…" slurred Rick.

"You got to stop this, Rick. Everyone's starting to talk at the base," said the blue-haired man sitting on the stool next to him.

"About?"

"Your drinking…your patrolling…or the lack of…"

"Those rats!" wailed Rick as if he were a ten year old.

"Only because they're worried about you."

"Really?" He gestured to the bartender for another bottle.

"You've been flying non-stop, Rick and it's starting to show in your work."

"I thought I _wasn'_t working."

Max sighed. If Rick was stubborn when he was sober he was even worse when he drank.

"Come on, Rick. You got to find another way to…"

"To?" replied the dark-haired pilot in a threatening tone of voice.

"So, how does it feel to be the biggest loser in the city, _Captain_ Hunter?"

Max rolled his eyes. _Just what we needed!_

Rick felt the small hairs on the back of his neck rise. He knew that voice; it belonged to the rogue pilot, James, he had demoted. He had only been on Rick's team for a month but it had been enough to realize that the younger man was reckless and a danger to anyone on the squadron.

"Excuse me?" said Rick spinning on his stool.

"Not only did you lose Miss Macross but you also Hayes. I guess you weren't man enough for either of them, huh?" he finished saying before smiling sarcastically.

Rick placed a bottle on the counter with a loud thump.

"Rick, no," advised Max. "Ignore him."

"Who in the world do you think you are?" said Rick standing to confront James.

"I hit a sore spot, didn't I?" continued James. "Or else you'd take your friends advice."

"I do as I please and right now I want to leave. I'm not wasting my time with you, James."

Rick turned to throw a bill on the counter and beckoned Max to follow him.

"Leaving already?" said James when Rick passed by his side.

"You should really shut up," replied Max adjusting his tinted aviator glasses.

"Come on Hunter! Don't you want to know where Lisa is?"

Rick froze in his stride and turned. _How dare he call her by her first name?_

"If you buy me a drink I'll tell you…and give you a few tricks on how to satisfy her. They worked for me."

Max knew it was going to happen and wasn't fast enough to stop him

_I guess that's what happens when they talk about your girl_, thought Max.

Lately, Rick had been like a walking time bomb and he was already pounding James on the floor.

"You better clean your mouth before you ever speak about her! You hear me?!"

_Everyone_ at the bar could hear him. There was dead silence all over the place. It was shocking to see the ever so calm Rick Hunter losing his cool. It took more than Max to hold Rick back.

"Let me go, Max! Or I swear you'll be next!" said Rick as his friend pulled him away.

"Don't waste your time on him, captain," said another fellow pilot.

"He's not worth it!" said another.

"You better let me go!" repeated Rick.

"What would Lisa think?" whispered Max.

His words caught Rick's attention for a minute. James spat some blood on the floor and wiped his mouth before standing up.

"Poor Hunter! The girl of his dreams leaves him for a pacifist and his second fiddle leaves him without even saying goodbye!"

"Don't you know how to shut up?" yelled a pilot from a table.

"Shut up or we'll make you shut up!" they advised him.

"What is going on here?!" said a voice slamming the doors open.

Everyone turned to see the MP standing at the door. Someone had tipped them off.

"Is everything alright, Captain Hunter?"

All eyes fell on Rick that contemplated the pilot in front of him. He was younger than he was and obviously foolish.

"Everything is…fine," said Rick before cracking a smile that offended James even more.

"Are you sure?" insisted the MP. Rick nodded and adjusted his jacket before stepping towards the door.

The cool air seemed to clear Rick's head a bit and he started whistling a tune. Max looked at him out of the corner of his glasses. The senior pilot still had a somber face.

"So…how are you knuckles?" said Max trying to start a conversation.

"I'm gonna need some ice," replied Rick looking at them. "I should have known that rookie was gonna be trouble."

"You did what you had to do."

"Yeah."

They continued to walk in silence and soon they reached the shopping area. Men and women came and went in different directions, and Rick stopped dead in his tracks. Max followed Rick's gaze and noticed that a woman was stepping out of a shop.

_Lisa!_ thought Rick hurrying towards her. Max watched him at a close distance. Rick was about to grab her arm when a man showed up at her side and hugged her.

"Hey Marilyn!" said the man joyfully.

"Hey love!" she replied before kissing him.

Rick shook his head in disbelief and watched them disappear down the corner.

"You really miss her, don't you?" said Max cautiously.

"Who?"

Max crossed his arms over his chest. Rick was doing what all pilots did when they lost a comrade. He was doing what they all did when Roy passed away.

"Lisa."

"Lisa, who?" answered Rick before crossing the intersection hurriedly.

Max winced. Rick was almost hit by a car. The driver shouted a couple of blasphemies but Rick seemed unaffected. As a matter a fact, that's how he'd been acting since Lisa had disappeared.

_I ain't missing you, I ain't missing you, _thought Rick sullenly.

Why would he miss her after what she did?

_**

* * *

Flashback**_

_Rick stood in disbelief in the living room. It was empty. It wasn't possible!_

_He hurried to her bedroom, hoping for the best; only to find the worse. It was empty and so was the closet. It was as she had never lived there. His eyes examinedthe room in hopes of finding an answer but there was none. Lisa was gone. _

_Why?, he asked himself once more while he stared at the ceiling in his rooms. His hands touched the sheets were she had been lying the night before. It didn't make any sense at all. They had made up the night before. _

_We made love! _

_Rick smirked. He was starting to sound like a girl, he thought full of amusement but that was the only way he could call what Lisa and he shared._

_Is she still mad at me?_

_He knew it was still a possibility and he deserved it. How could he leave her waiting at the café all day to see Minmei? And, that had turned out to be a disaster. Kyle had showed-up, looking angrier than usual and forced the singer to leave with him. _

_Rick remembered sighing in relief when he discovered that Lisa was still at the café. They started walking down the street, almost holding hands, almost looking like a couple when he had the brilliant idea of placing the scarf over her shoulders. The scarf Minmei had given him. _

_Lisa had immediately rejected him and told him to forget about her… forever. He tried catching up to her and explaining but she was too angry to listen. Rick let her walk away…unknowing that she would have melted in his arms if he had stopped her._

_Surprisingly, she showed up at his door a few hours later, soaking wet. He asked her to come in, concerned that she might catch a cold but more because of the sadness in her beautiful green eyes. Rick knew he had to apologize but Lisa wouldn't listen to him, and instead asked him to take her to bed. _

_That night had been like no other they had shared. Lisa seemed so vulnerable, so fragile that all he could think about was protecting her now and forever. It was a major discovery for him. Minmei had always occupied that place but he realized now that Lisa had taken priority. He wanted to tell her but she asked him to hold her close. He had fallen asleep as he stroked her hair. That morning he had woken to an empty bed but he didn't think much of it. Regardless of how late they went to bed, Lisa would always be on time to work. He decided to sleep and shut his eyes._

_He woke up a little after noon and called her to work but she was having lunch. He called her early in the afternoon but she was in a meeting. He showed up at the SDF-2 after five o'clock to walk her home, waited…, waited…, and waited. By six-thirty, Rick had grown impatient and decided to go for her._

_It's time for my girlfriend to clock out. Girlfriend? _

_He had never acknowledged her as that but the time had come to redeem himself. _

"_Good evening, ladies," he greeted the bridge officers with a smile, "can you tell me where Lisa is?"_

_The girls exchanged glances but did not reply._

"_Hello? Girls?" repeated Rick. "Would you mind telling me where Lisa is?"_

"_She left," replied Kim unceremoniously._

"_Left? That's impossible. I was waiting for her downstairs…unless she took another way out."_

"_She's gone, flyboy. She left New Macross," said Vanessa accusingly._

"_She gone faraway and won't be back."_

"_What?" Rick had stared at them in disbelief. "But…how? Why? Is it a mission?" he practically moaned._

"_Are you sure you don't know the reason?" asked Kim._

"_Or reasons?" said Vanessa glaring at him behind her glasses._

"_You blew it, Captain Hunter…and now she's gone," said Sammy with tears rolling down her face._

"_Where is she?" said Rick approaching her._

"_Do you think we're going to tell you?" said a deep voice behind him. Rick turned around to see Claudia looking at him seriously._

"_Claud…please, I need to speak to her."_

"_Sorry Rick. Lisa asked us to keep her new location a secret from you."_

"_And that's exactly what we'll do," Kim assured him._

"_Come on, girls! It's me, Rick! You guys know that Lisa and I - -"_

"_What?" asked Claudia seriously? "What about you and Lisa?"_

"_Lisa and I…"_

"_Just leave her alone, Rick."_

_Rick pleaded with the female officers but they weren't budging. It was clear that they weren't going to tell him no matter what he said. He tightened his fists in a gesture of impotence. _

"_I'll find her," he reassured them._

"_You can try…"said Sammy wiping her nose, "but she ain't coming back. You hurt her enough."_

* * *

He had contacted as many people as he could think of during the past weeks. No one knew where Lisa was. There were no records on her or at least they weren't giving him access to them. Six weeks had passed since her "disappearance". Six weeks since he was leaving his wingmen alone during their patrols. He knew it was against the rules to do so but finding her had become his priority, even on his days off.

Anger was starting to build in him. Anger that she had left him without even saying goodbye. How could she do that to him after all they had shared? For Pete's sake, Lisa was his woman!

_Lisa…Lisa…_

_**Every time I think of you, I always catch my breath  
And I'm still standing here, and you're miles away  
And I'm wondering' why you left  
**_

"The usual, Captain Hunter?" asked the barman.

"Yes, thanks," he said sitting on his favorite stool.

"Long day, captain?"

"Ah-hum…" mused Rick as he drank from the beer bottle.

_Lisa, baby, where are you?_

A group of females entered the bar and sat next to the counter. Rick knew they were from the SDF-2 but they didn't seem to recognize him without his uniform. The scruffy Rick sitting at the bar was not the handsome captain they knew. They started talking about men and dates and Rick was about to tune out when he heard them talking about Lisa.

"I heard she's about to receive a promotion. She's working again under Dr. Lang on this super secret project and - -"

"If it's so secret, how you know?" they teased her.

"I get the memos. I don't read them but I skim through them."

They all laughed. "What else do you know?"

"She's surrounded by men all the time. Some say she's got a new boyfriend and that he's totally hot."

"More than Hunter?"

"If that's possible…but then again, Hunter was such a creep to her. I'm so happy she finally got the guts to leave him."

_**I hear your name in certain circles, and it always makes me smile  
I spend my time thinking' about you, and it's almost driving me wild  
And there's a heart that's breaking down…  
**_

"Another beer" said Rick to the bartender who had also listened to the conversation.

_My beautiful, Lisa…did you forget me so soon? _

Could it be true? Had she made up a new life for herself without him? Was he a fool for feeling like he did? He felt as if time had stood still since she had left.

_How can I go on without you?_ he wondered drinking hurriedly from his bottle.

Max showed up a few hours later and practically dragged him out of the bar. Rick slumped in the backseat of his car.

"I don't miss her…" mumbled Rick.

_Yeah right! _thought Max before turning the key on his ignition.

* * *

Rick woke up in stupor.

_She's working with Dr. Lang…,_ the girl's voice resounded in his head like a broken record.

He sat on the bed and held his head with his hands.

_Oh, my head…_

"She's in space!"

Lisa was in space. That's why he couldn't find her! That's why there weren't any clues. Rick's heart ached suddenly. Did she hate him so much that she had to leave the planet?

_I guess I'm going to have to find out_, he told himself rising from the sofa.

Half and hour later a clean-shaven, Rick Hunter arrived at the base before dawn. He gave instructions to have his Veritech prepared for space travel and the technician gave him a strange look.

"Do you have permission, captain?"

"I've given you a direct order, lieutenant," retorted Rick.

"That doesn't answer my question, sir."

Rick looked at the mechanic. He was younger than him! What in the world was wrong with them? Had they not received the proper training?

"Of course he does…otherwise I don't think he would risk being court martialed."

"Admiral Gloval!" they both exclaimed full of surprise and saluting.

"At ease," said the older man. "Prepare Captain Hunter's Veritech ASAP."

"Yes, admiral," responded the technician before hurrying away.

Rick swallowed hard and approached his senior officer. "Sir…"

"So, you finally figured it out, son," he said after lighting his pipe.

"Yes, and I need to see her…even if it means court martial."

"Always so impulsive." Gloval gave him a long look before speaking. "Go bring our girl home, captain."

"I'll do my best, admiral."

Gloval saluted him and Rick did the same. The admiral turned around and walked off the hangar. It was a matter of minutes before at least half a dozen technicians were preparing Skull-One for flight.

* * *

"Captain Hayes, your presence is requested at the bridge."

The intercom buzzed but Lisa barely noticed. She was concentrating on her book, a gift from Exedore on Zentraedi history. The intercom buzzed again.

"Captain Hayes?" repeated the voice.

"What is it?" she replied a bit annoyed.

"A Veritech has contacted us and asked for you."

Lisa felt the blood rush to her feet. It was not possible!

"Who is it?" she asked despite knowing the answer.

"Captain Rick Hunter."

Lisa buried her face in her hands as wild thoughts crossed her mind. She had hoped for this day but never believing it would happen. And now? What was she to do? Could she face him?

"I'll be there in five minutes, " she said regaining her composure.

Lisa looked through the glass at the Veritech in space. There was no doubt that it was Skull-One. She sighed.

"What does he want?" she asked the bridge officer.

"He wants to speak to you and asked for a private line."

"No. Tell him it's not possible."

The bridge officer obeyed. "He says that he has something personal to tell you."

"Tell him I'm not available."

"Uh…sorry. He can see you on my com."

Lisa cursed in silence as she lowered her gaze to the screen. He waved at her.

"Captain Hunter, may I ask what you are doing here? We have not received any communication regarding your visit."

"Because this is personal and you know it."

"We have no personal matters in the RDF, captain."

"That's not true and you know it, Lis."

Lisa felt her face redden. How dare he talk to her with that familiarity?

"I've got something to tell you and you need to listen."

"Not interested."

"Look at my Veritech, Lisa."

She lifted her gaze. The lights of the Veritech were flashing repeatedly. Lisa placed her hand over her mouth in utter surprise. It was like when Rick had escorted her to Earth. The first time that he had expressed some kind of feelings towards her.

_**There's a message in the wire, and I'm sending you this signal tonight  
You don't know how desperate I've become  
And it looks like I'm losing this fight  
In your world I have no meaning, though I'm trying hard to understand  
And it's my heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight**  
_

"What's that?" asked the bridge office full of curiosity.

"Do you understand, Lisa?" whispered Rick over the net.

It wasn't what she was expecting to hear…or read.

"Skull-One requesting permission to land."

"Denied!" cried Lisa desperately. "Return to Earth immediately."

"I'm running low on fuel, Captain Hayes. I don't' think you want to be responsible for disappearing in space."

_Darn! _"Permission granted."

* * *

Several technicians were waiting excitedly for Skull-One. That was the plane of the legendary Roy Fokker. Once, he had been directed to his spot, Rick jumped off his Veritech with agility and approached Lisa that was on deck. She was staring at him still in disbelief.

"Lisa…" he began saying as he removed his gloves to take her hands.

"What are you doing here?!" she said shaking her hands off his.

"We need to talk. I need to understand why you left without telling me."

"There's nothing you need to know, so fill your tank and leave." She turned her back to him and started walking away.

"Wait!" Rick took her by the arm. "We need to talk."

"Let me go! You're wasting your time here, Rick! I'm not interested in anything you have to say…or tried saying," she said referring to the code.

She spoke with such despise in her voice that it gave him chills.

"Fine" he retorted feeling snubbed. "I thought we- -"

"What?" she looked at him inquisitively.

"--could be friends…at least." finished Rick.

"I don't need your friendship, so please get on your Veritech and go home!"

"Stop ordering me around, Lisa!" he replied annoyed at her attitude.

"You have no business here, Rick. Don't you see? I don't want you near me."

"Why? Did you stop loving me?"

She looked at him in shock. Rick took a step closer to her.

"Fine. It took me a while," he said regretfully, "but I figured it out."

"I- -" she muttered to ashamed to face him.

"Can you forgive me for not knowing? I'm so sorry I hurt you."

"Stay away from me, Rick," she stepped backwards. "It's too late."

"It can't be."

"It is. I…have a boyfriend."

Rick shook his head.

"It's true. If you'd like, I could call him here. I think you two could get along. He's quite good with planes and - -"

"Are you trying to humiliate me, Lisa? I just confessed my feelings to you and you want me to be friends with some…guy?" he argued waving his hands.

"_That_ was a confession?" mocked Lisa.

Rick tightened his jaw. _Why was it that anything he did was never enough for her?_

"Will you point me to the quarters, please? I need some rest."

Lisa raised her hand and pointed with her index finger to a side door. Rick nodded and saluted her mockingly before walking away. Something in his eyes made her insides stir.

"Rick…" she said holding him by his sleeve, "did you… ever miss me?"

"Never!" Rick pulled away as fast as he could and walked out the door.

Lisa controlled the urge to run after him. She couldn't! He had never once said the words she longed to hear. The words that any woman longed to hear from the man she loved.

_I can't give in…I can't!_ she thought before letting tears roll down her cheeks.

* * *

Rick lay on the bed in the guest quarters. He blew his wet bangs off his forehead and stared angrily at the ceiling.

_Of all the nerve! Asking if I missed her…Why else in the world would I be here?_

She had made it very clear that she was well off without him. She didn't even try to apologize for her rude disappearance.

_She has a boyfriend._

Why was it that everything was always so difficult between them? He groaned thinking about the grand discourse he had prepared for her.

_No way I'm telling her now!_ he told himself.

_**I ain't missing you,  
I ain't missing you,  
I can lie to myself  
Since you've been gone away  
I ain't missing you.**_

_Liar! _

He missed her so much it hurt. He missed her so much he was willing to break the rules. He loved her so much he was willing to get court-martialed.

_I love her. I love her. I love her!_

Rick got off his bed with a sudden insight. Maybe he still had a chance. He slipped a white t-shirt over his head and briefly looked at himself in the mirror. He wore dark blue sweatpants and messy hair.

_But she likes it messy! _

He quickly checked his breath and opened the door into the hallway.

"Now, all I have to do is figure out which is her room."

* * *

Lisa rose from the chair where she was reading. She opened the door without really thinking and gasped. She didn't expect _him_ to be there.

"I thought you had left already".

Rick held his breath. Lisa looked so beautiful in her pajama. It wasn't frilly or silky. It was soft and feminine, just like her. Her light-brown hair, uncoiled, fell almost to her waist.

"Are you lost?"

"Yes, I've been lost without you," said Rick wrapping an arm around her waist to bring her close.

Their bodies melded and she had a whiff of his scent: a mixture of soap and his own masculinity. She tried to pull away but he held her close.

"I love you, Lisa. I love you."

Lisa felt her knees weaken. That's what she had longed for!

"I'm so sorry I never said it before," he said before kissing her cheek softly.

"Please stop…I don't…I can't believe you!"

"Believe me. I love you. I need you. I miss you."

His lips fell on hers, lovingly and passionately, taking her breath away, and demanding a response from her. She wanted to resist him. She wanted to deny the fact that she loved him. She didn't want to give in but…she returned his kiss hungrily, her hands caressing his neck.

"There's no boyfriend, is there?" he asked with a bit of arrogance when their lips parted.

She blushed and hid her face in his chest.

"I love you, Lisa," he repeated before kissing her again. "Please believe me."

Those words! She shivered and he embraced her protectively.

"Rick…"

"Forgive me. Forgive me for all the stupid things I've done. I've missed you terribly. You have no idea how I've felt since you left."

"Really?"

"Ask anyone…or just believe in me. If you only give me a chance, I promise I will make it up to you."

"How will you do that?" she wondered.

Lisa let out a gasp when Rick got down on a knee in front of her. Blue eyes met green eyes as he searched in his pocket for a velvet box. He opened it to reveal a diamond-studded ring.

"Will you be my wife, Lisa?"

"Oh, Rick!"

"As you can see, I haven't missed you at all," he said before grinning slyly.

**The End.**

**A/N:** Hello! I had this songfic in my head for a while and since Valentine's day is around the corner, I decided to put some words to it.

A friend said this could be a companion to "Can't make you love me". I hope this satisfies those of you that requested a sequel.

The song is "(I ain't) missing you" © John Waite – one of the 80's songs that I love so much.

My birthday is coming up…wouldn't you be nice and submit a review?

Thank you for reading!


End file.
